Gyrfalcon:If it was a bad idea for us to go into Iraq, it is a bad idea for China to go into Korea. If it is a good idea for China to go into Korea, then it was a good thing we went into Iraq; for all the same reasons and with the same ultimate results.

I never said it was good for us to go into Iraq. I'm saying that the bullshiat reasons we used are a genie that's out of its bottle.

China's kindof a special case as far as the web is concerned. Their web is an extremely filtered, extremely monitored version that complies with china's official censorship policies, and may not even mention some disputed territories. However, there's a cottage industry of VPN users dedicated to getting around it, so it's kindof a cat and mouse game as well.

ransack.:Mixolydian Master: Subby: Chinese officials refer to Kim Jong-Un as "Fatty Kim" or "Fatty The Third", what does that tell you?

The article: Certainly North Korea no longer merits much respect among ordinary Chinese, who have taken to insulting Kim Jong-un as "Fatty Kim" or "Fatty the Third", in reference to his father and grandfather, on the Chinese internet.

Now I understand the greenlight

How is there "Chinese internet"? Isn't the internet by definition ALL the networks connected? Or do they just mean Chinese-language internet sites? Yes I realize that Chinese is not a language I meant the variety of languages and dialects spoken by Chinese people.

Followup. Holy crap, it looks like the chinese "rules for the internet" would basically remove the entire internet as far as fark's concerned. Here are the rules via wiki:

No unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder;Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;Injuring the reputation of state organizations;Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.[14]Fark would never make it past 5...

China's kindof a special case as far as the web is concerned. Their web is an extremely filtered, extremely monitored version that complies with china's official censorship policies, and may not even mention some disputed territories. However, there's a cottage industry of VPN users dedicated to getting around it, so it's kindof a cat and mouse game as well.

SuperNinjaToad:Fatty Kim may have some screws loose up there but I don't think he is suicidal. Even he must know any actual shooting on his part will culminate in the destruction of his regime if not his own life and his family's nevermind the entire country. Last I check he has a wife and daughter and while the rest of Korea may not have access to world news even he must know what happened to folks like Saddam, OBL, Ghadafi etc to name a few.

I'm beginning to wonder if he is seeking some sort of an out. I mean this guy grew up in a very sheltered lifestyle and spent his most formative years living in Western Europe, going to the most exclusive schools there and living a lavished lifestyle there. Then his dad suddenly dies and he is thrust into a position he may not really want to be in. Perhaps by making all this ruckus, in his own distorted mind he is thinking that some sort of a deal can be cut where he can relinquish his position and live somewhere else as some reclusive billionaire BUT achieving it by also appearing as some sort of a strong anti western hero who stood up against the mighty and tyrannical US to the eyes of the average N Korean to preserve his legacy and his family's.

While he maybe the ruler of NK I'm sure his life is very regimented and scripted. He is probably being watch 24/7 by people closest to him.. it's not easy for him to secretly meet some spies/CIA types etc to discuss his intentions nor can he just hope on a plane and say see ya! w/o totally destroying his credibility. Unlike 99.9% of N Koreans he is most definitely NOT brainwashed. Crazy maybe but not brainwashed.

If he hates Americans as much as people think he does he MOST definitely won't meet someone like Dennis Rodman and his entourage of all people.

Anyway just my 2 c.

That's my completely crackpot theory as well, he wants to be "bought out" of leadership:

What's the point of being God-Emperor of a shiathole that can barely keep the electricity on?

What's stopping him are the generals and money, they are fairly well off since the whole country works for their care basically. If Daddy Kim had swiss bank accounts he could dissolve the state via war and take it all for himself and bribe the elite guard to not kill him.

Then he lives the rest of his life in Switzerland with his cute wife playing Starcraft.